Willow (15 page)

“
Willow James. No, she’s not involved with him. She and this guy here,”—a picture came across his desk—“Jared Robert, are semi involved. He’s been to her house a couple of times. Not sure what his connection to Talbor is, but from all accounts, he hates the man as much as she does.”

Daniel glanced at the second man’s face. If he wasn’t involved then he didn’t care. He had enough going on right now to be worrying about some guy trying to bop his boss.

“
Where is Talbor now, do we know?” Jack nodded. “Good. Keep a tail on him and make sure that he doesn’t leave town. I’m going to pay him a little visit tomorrow night. I want Carter to come with me. Make sure he knows that I want damage, but nothing permanent. I want this prick to be able to walk but not run.”

“
And the woman? What should we do about her? She did have the merchandise moved without telling him.” Jack didn’t like women and Daniel knew this.

“
If you’re sure she’s not involved, it could have been as simple as moving it when she had the chance. If she is involved…well, I will take care of her personally.”

After Jack left, Daniel picked up the file again and stared at the faces of the three people he’d had planted there. Two of them were worthless, Talbor being one, and one other was beginning to be a little itchy for his tastes. Louis was starting to act like he wanted out and Daniel couldn’t have that. When a person signed on for him, then he or she signed on for the duration.

The third guy was gone. Daniel was sure that Talbor had something to do with the disappearance of Bailey, but had no proof. But Talbor had said things, hinted at things that made Daniel sure of it. Plus, he thought the man was slightly, if not over the top, insane. Daniel was going to enjoy taking the man out.

Getting up from the desk, he went to the wall of books, pulled the copy of “
The Raven
,” and waited until the entire wall moved from its resting place. He slipped behind it before it was completely opened and then started the process to have it go back into place. Smiling, he made his way down the stairs to the lower levels.

“
Hello, sir,” Daniel said to the room just beyond him “We have and issue with Talbor.”

“
Fuck,” was the reply. “What’s the fucking idiot done now?”

“
The merchandise had been moved to a storage area and now has cops surrounding it. He’s not about to get to it.” Daniel moved to one of the easy chairs. “He needs to be gone.”

“
I agree, but let him hang himself. Give him until he gets the merchandise. Maybe a cop will save us the cost of a bullet and kill him for us.”

Daniel nodded and thought things were beginning to look up.

~o0o~

Willow was nervous. Not just nervous, but actually terrified. Jared would be here any minute and she didn’t know what to do with herself.

“
You had better sit down, Wills, or you’ll be worn to a frazzle before he gets you to bed.”

Willow stared open mouthed at Marta. “How did you…what are you talking about? He’s coming over to cook dinner, that’s all.”

Marta mumbled something under her breath then looked up from the laundry she was folding. “He looks at you like you’re an all-day sucker and he can’t wait to lick him a few bites of you.”

Willow blushed. She didn’t know what to say because she knew that’s what he wanted to do to her too. She sat down in the kitchen chair and started sorting socks. Marta brought her laundry over to do when she did Willow’s. She didn’t care that Marta used her washer and dryer. It meant that she didn’t have to do it.

“
How do you know this stuff? I mean, he is coming over, but as far as the sex goes…” Willow took a deep breath before asking the older woman. “I’m not very good at it. Maybe he’s coming over to just…you know…get off. You think?”

Marta cackled. Willow started to get up and leave, thinking she’d call him up and tell him not to come over. She was to the phone when Marta wrapped her arm around her waist and pulled her into her embrace.

“
Honey, he don’t care how good you be at sex. Besides, he seems like a man who knows how to treat a woman in bed, so whatever he wants you to know, I’m sure he would be the one to teach it to you.”

Willow watched Jared pull up next to her garage and begin to unload bags from his trunk. Then he pulled out a duffle bag.

“
He wants to spend the night with me. What if he—”

Marta cut her off. “And if he do then you try and do it to him. He’s a good man, that one. You just be yourself and I think you will be good.”

Marta was pulling on her coat when Jared came in the kitchen door, the dogs right behind him. Willow took the dogs to the family room after telling Marta goodbye. Willow sat on the couch with Here and It for a few minutes. She saw Jared leaning in the doorjamb when she looked up.

“
Come here, Willow. Please?”

She looked down at the fire she’d turned on in the fireplace instead of looking at him. “I had Marta make us some things that would keep. They’re in my bed…my room. I have a refrigerator in there. There’re also some things to drink.”

She stood up and so did he. She wasn’t sure what to do now, but commanded the dogs to follow her. Jared moved to the side when they passed him. She pulled down the dog food and was about to open it when he took it from her.

“
Get their water and I’ll do this. Will they be all right until morning? Or will they need to be let out again?”

She picked up their dishes and walked into the kitchen. “No, I’ll come down and let them out later. It’s something we do. There’s a treat on the shelf above your head. Give them each one if they go to their bed without you telling them.”

Willow only put them in this room when they were to go to bed. They had never quite gotten it, but she tried. When first Here then It ran to their beds for Jared, she wanted to both smack them and praise them. Jared gave them their treats and shut the door behind him.

Now she was nervous again. Picking up the bags that he’d brought with him, she began folding them. Then she picked up the washcloth on the sink and began scrubbing the counter tops. When he came up behind her, slipped his arms around her, and took the cloth, she found herself leaning back against him.

“
I’m not going to hurt you, Willow. And we certainly won’t do anything you don’t want to.” He kissed her neck and nothing more. “Tell me what you want, love. Tell me.”

She turned in his arms and wrapped hers around his neck. “You, I want you.”

Willow knew that what they had wasn’t going to last. She didn’t have any doubts that a man like him would become bored with someone as inexperienced as her and soon. But she knew something he didn’t. She had fallen in love with him sometime in the last hour. It was when he’d helped her take care of her dogs that sealed the deal. Taking his hand, she went to the alarm system and gave him the number so that he could leave if he wanted. He grabbed up his duffle before they left the kitchen.

“
Just set the number and hit ‘exit.’ It will reset it so that everything is buttoned down when you leave. The rest of the house is already locked up.”

Before she could move from the door, he turned her and pressed her back against it. The kiss was soft and gentle and took her breath away. Before she could pull him closer and kiss him back, he stepped back and took her hand.

“
I’m not leaving tonight. Tomorrow morning I want to make love to you again before we go to work then after we’re finished for the day, I’ll come back here and fix dinner then make love to you again.”

She nodded. The thought of him being next to her all night was making her giddy. Turning, she led him upstairs to her room. She opened the door and let him go in first.

“
Christ. I’m going to have a lot of fun in this bed with you. Where did you get this thing?” he sat on the edge and bounced twice. “Oh yeah, this is going to be fun. Come here.”

“
I had it made. I noticed when we…from the other time we…You take up a lot of bed when you sleep. I thought about you here.” She turned away when she realized what she’d said. “I’m sorry. I’m not very good at this.”

Jared stepped in front of her and lifted her chin. “It’s very cute how you get shy on me. You know what I think about when I think of that night in the hotel? You riding me. Your head thrown back in ecstasy while you took me deep inside of you. The way your breasts swayed and moved as you did. The way you felt wrapped around me.”

Her breath shuddered and she couldn’t think. At least not about anything but the things he was describing. She’d thought about her taking him too, but she hadn’t thought about how he had enjoyed it. Now it was all she could think about.

“
Come to bed with me, Willow. Come and let me love you.”

He led her to the bed. Cupping his hands at her face, he kissed her gently. She had no idea that there were so many different kinds of kisses that a couple could share. She only knew that he was an expert at all of them. When his hands slid down her back, cupped her ass, and brought her to him, she felt the hard evidence of his need.

He pulled his mouth from hers, stepped back, and looked at her. “Undress for me. I want to watch you.”

Jared sat on the edge of her bed again and Willow tried to figure out how to take her clothes off without looking stupid. Then she realized it didn’t matter how she felt. It was him she wanted to please.

“
I have this fetish for under things. Silk is my favorite, but I like leather too.” When she had all the buttons undone on her shirt, she dropped it on the floor behind her. Talking helped her be less nervous about messing up. “I don’t have any dresses. Well, I have one black one, but that’s just for emergency. I have some black thigh-highs that I wear with it.”

She left on her t-shirt and started on the buttons of her pants. These were the dressiest pants she owned and the holes where the buttons slipped into were tight. It took her a moment or two to get them through. The popping open of each button seemed loud in the room.

“
I’d like to see you in thigh-highs. And a garter. I want to take you sometime when you have on just those stockings and a garter.” Jared’s voice sounded strangled and while she watched, he lay back on the bed and opened his own pants. “Don’t stop.”

The image of him taking her over the end of the bed with just her garter and stockings on made her wet. She looked at the end of the bed and could almost see them there. Him behind her, naked and slamming deep into her. She looked back at him when he groaned.

“
That’s where I want you too. Christ, I want you. Please, Willow, take off the rest so I can see if you have on leather or silk. You’re killing me.”

Empowered by his apparent need, she started to shimmy out of her pants. He wanted her and that alone made her feel wonderful. When she was down to her panties, bra, and t-shirt, he shimmied his jeans down to his hips. His cock was stiff and thick and her mouth watered to take him in. Licking her lips, she started to take off her panties when he stopped her.

“
No. The shirt. Take off your shirt first. Let me see you.” She pulled it over her head and tossed it on the floor with her other things.

The leather had been cool against her skin when she’d put it on tonight. Now it felt tight and hot. The softness of it rubbed against her hard nipples and she reached up and cupped her breasts to rub them more. His harsh groan had her stop.

“
Don’t stop. Pull it…pull it down so that your nipples are exposed. I want to watch you lick them again.” She did as he asked. “Christ, Willow, come here.”

He sat up and pulled her forward by grabbing her hips. The tiny strings there came loose in his hands and he pulled them away from her body. When his hand came up between her thighs, she trembled with need and she wondered how long she could stand. His fingers entered her as he took her into his mouth.

Her climax was fast. Knowing that no one could hear her, she screamed out his name. She did it with wild abandonment. Wrapping her fingers into his hair as he ate at her, she held him to her. The waves of pleasure rolled over her; tiny explosions detonated all over her body, her breasts, nipples, even her knees felt them. Just when she wasn’t sure she could stand any longer, he lay back down and started to pull his pants off the rest of the way.

“
Hurry. Christ, if I’m not in you in ten seconds, I’m going to come all over myself like an untrained teenager.” Her giggle had him looking up. “Oh you think this is funny, do you? Wait, love. I’m going to have you begging for release before I’m finished with you.”

Willow was suddenly on her back on the bed. Jared was leaning over her on his elbow. Her bra was gone and so was his shirt. She could feel the hair on his legs tickle her own.

“
You’re so beautiful.” He moved the hair from her face as he spoke. “More beautiful every time I look at you.”

“
Take me, Jared. Please. Take me.” he took them both.

~Chapter 16~

Jared woke when she came back to bed. She was cold as he pulled her back into his arms, but soon warmed up. He thought she had gone to let the dogs out. Next time, he told himself, next time he would do it. Her even breathing and a soft snore told him she had fallen back to sleep.

They had made love and she promptly fell asleep. Jared shifted his body to look down at her. Relaxed in her slumber, she took his breath away. Kissing her lightly on the lips, he went into her bath and after closing the door, looked at himself.